October 17, 1938 - October 3, 2024
Loyd Cleve Gass, age 85, of Dade County, Trenton, Georgia, passed away peacefully at his daughter’s home on October 3, 2024.
Loyd was born on October 17, 1938, to Fred and Minnie Gass of Sand Mountain. After graduating from Davis High School, Loyd attended Berry College where he met and married Betty Williams, the love of his life and mother of his two daughters, Amy and Laura Beth. Both Loyd and Betty graduated with degrees in education and worked passionately in education until their retirement. Loyd served Dade County faithfully as a school teacher, principal, and ultimately as superintendent. He was very active in the Lions Club, a founding member of the Trenton-Dade Optimist Club, and Chairman of the organizing committee of Citizens Bank & Trust. Through his career and these civic organizations, Loyd spent his life working to improve the community’s educational system for educators and students alike.
One of Loyd’s proudest moments was being selected from a group of 40,000 community heroes by the Olympic Committee to run as one of the torch bearers from Athens, Greece to Atlanta, Georgia, for the 1996 Olympic Opening Ceremonies. When Loyd and Betty finally retired, they enjoyed traveling to all 50 states and continuing their work on Sandy Acres Farm, which has been in Loyd’s family for over 100 years and is still being run by his daughter, Laura Beth Cunningham and her husband Scott.
Loyd was preceded in death by his wife, Betty Williams Gass, and his sister, Beatrice Brock.
He is survived by his current wife, Virginia Hicks Coley Gass; his daughters Amy Lee Ann Gass and Laura Beth Cunningham (Scott Cunningham); his two grandchildren, Jacob Levi Gass and Ashley Jordan Bennett; and a niece and nephew, Harry Brock and Myra Hufstetler.
Services will be held at Ryan Funeral Home on Tuesday, October 8th at 3:00 PM with burial to follow in Brown's Gap Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Monday, October 7th from 4 PM to 7 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Trenton-Dade Optimist Club, an organization that Loyd and Betty both felt strongly about and who present an annual Loyd & Betty Gass Scholarship for Future Educators to a student at Dade County High School. Please mail donations to: Trenton-Dade Optimist Club, Inc. P.O. Box 1121, Trenton, GA 30752. Online condolences may be shared at ryanfuneralhome.net.
